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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906485">quiet offerings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meridas/pseuds/Meridas'>Meridas</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>warm, unalone (come settle down) [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Comfort, Established Relationship, Friendship, Frumpkin was poofed but he'll be fine, Gen, Other, Queerplatonic Molly/Yasha, Queerplatonic Relationships, Romantic Molly/Caleb, Slice of Life, the awkward friendship of Yasha &amp; Caleb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:00:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,371</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meridas/pseuds/Meridas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yasha is getting better at having friends. Caleb is getting better at letting himself have nice things. Molly loves them both very much.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caleb Widogast &amp; Yasha, Mollymauk Tealeaf &amp; Yasha, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>warm, unalone (come settle down) [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607398</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>quiet offerings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you Donut for the sweet prompt! And thank you to Eileen, as always :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s not uncommon for Yasha to come home and find Caleb, now that he and Molly have been dating. What is unusual is the quiet of their apartment that means Molly himself isn’t here, as well as the pensive, unhappiness that hangs over Caleb so heavy she can practically see it like a dark cloud.</p>
<p>She sends Molly a quick text. <em> Were you expecting Caleb? He seems upset</em>.</p>
<p>She gets a response almost immediately. </p>
<p>
  <em> Yeah he’s coming over but I thought I would beat him home  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Is he okay???  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I’m at gestures event but I can come home right now </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> *Jester’s event gdi  </em>
</p>
<p>Yasha eyes Caleb over. <em> I think it’s okay. Don’t run out and make Jester sad. We will be okay here. </em></p>
<p>
  <em> Okay but I’ll be home before 8 for sure  </em>
</p>
<p>She sends him one quick heart, then pockets her phone and shrugs out of her coat, making some obvious noise as she does. “Hello, Caleb,” she calls. </p>
<p>He still jumps slightly. “<em>Hallo</em>, Yasha,” he replies quietly. “<em>Entschuldigung, </em>I know I am here earlier than Molly suggested.”</p>
<p>The downward slump of his shoulders is making her back ache in sympathy. “Are you, um. Are you okay? Did something happen?”</p>
<p>Caleb’s hands pluck at the ends of his sleeves in agitation. “<em>Ja</em>, I suppose… I am fine now. Just not… I want my cat back, and I do not have the herbs I need, I ran out,” he grumbles. “I was, it has not been a good day for me, so I had Frumpkin with me. And I just let him down for a moment, I did not think to tell him to stay by me or snap him away, I assumed he would be fine, because who—what kind of person just kicks a cat!” Caleb’s voice cracks, and he rakes his hand through his hair. He takes a deep breath, then sighs heavily. “I just… I have just had a shitty day, Yasha, I am sorry to—I should probably go—”  </p>
<p>“No, no. You should stay, Caleb, Molly will be home in a few hours,” she promises. “Um. I can order some of the herbs you need? For Frumpkin? I’ve heard you can get that kind of stuff delivered, now.”</p>
<p>Caleb hesitates, his fingers twisting through a small hole in the hem of his sweater. Then he shakes his head minutely. “Too expensive,” he mutters. “It’s—it’s fine, I will… it’s fine.”</p>
<p>Well, that makes up Yasha’s mind. She gets out her phone and sits down next to Caleb on the couch, careful to leave him some space. “Well, I’m going to order some magic-looking herbs and stuff, so you should tell me which ones are the ones for Frumpkin. Otherwise they will just sit here until Molly tries to cook with them, and that will probably not end very well.”</p>
<p>She glances sidelong at Caleb. He’s staring at her, but not the kind of stare she usually gets that makes her so uncomfortable. His hands have settled in his lap. </p>
<p>“Are—are you sure?”</p>
<p>Yasha opens a delivery app on her phone, tilted so that Caleb can see it. “Maybe Molly and I can start selling some stuff like this at the shop,” she says. “Unless you need a license or something? What are they called, the herbs you need?” </p>
<p>She doesn’t say out loud, <em> I don't like to see you so sad. </em> She doesn’t say <em> Molly isn’t the only one who cares about you, you know. </em> She doesn’t say <em> I want to take care of the people who matter to me, I want to see you happy, I didn’t have anyone to care about for a very long time and now I do, so let me do this. </em> </p>
<p>She also doesn’t offer to go and punch the guy who kicked Caleb’s familiar into his pocket dimension, even though that might be easier. Defending her friends was easier with the carnival, sometimes, but she is adapting to this new life that she and Molly have here. So she just hums quietly while she types in what Caleb mumbles, and lets him lean into her space to scroll through the list of options. When Caleb hesitates over the total amount, Yasha hits the button decisively. </p>
<p>“Okay,” she says, pocketing her phone once more. “There we go.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Caleb says, very quietly, still leaning lightly against her arm. Then he startles a little, and sits back upright. “My apologies,” he says quickly. “I know you don’t like—I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Yasha considers. She still doesn’t feel comfortable with a lot of physical contact—she doesn’t know if she ever will, the way she was raised. She hates being touched by strangers; her new touchy-feely friends like Jester are a bit uncomfortable when she’s not expecting it, but tolerable. Even their companions at the carnival knew to give her her space: the exception, of course, is Molly. She’s more comfortable than she used to be, because of Molly.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” she says. A little hesitant—she doesn’t have Molly’s easy grace, or his confidence—she lifts her arm up in an offer. “Um, I am probably not as good as Molly, or Frumpkin. But I’m here? If you want.”</p>
<p>Caleb hesitates a bit more. “If you change your mind,” he says, and Yasha nods. </p>
<p>“You too,” she says. “Maybe it’s okay if we just… this will be awkward, but then after that it’ll be nice? That’s what Molly used to say, anyway: sometimes you just have to let it be weird until it's not anymore.”</p>
<p>Caleb huffs a small laugh. “I find it hard to believe Mollymauk has ever paid mind to his own awkwardness in his life,” he says, but Yasha can see some of the tension leave his shoulders, and he leans into her.</p>
<p>He is a very light weight against her side, but he’s quite warm. His nerdy sweater is actually pretty soft. She can see why Molly likes cuddling with him, aside from the fact that Molly likes cuddling with everyone he loves. </p>
<p>When Caleb doesn’t immediately pull away and declare the awkwardness overwhelming, Yasha finds a nice documentary on TV to pass the time. After some time, she notices that more of Caleb’s weight is leaning on her, and she glances down to find his eyes closed, the wrinkled lines of upset smoothed away from his forehead. </p>
<p>Yasha smiles. She turns the volume down a little bit, and settles deeper into their comfortable couch with her friend.</p>
<p>She wakes up to the sound of a camera shutter noise. Opening her eyes, she finds Molly standing at the end of the couch, his phone in his hands and a soft smile crinkling up his eyes. </p>
<p>“You’re both adorable,” he says fondly. Caleb stirs awake at the sound of his voice, grumbling slightly until he wakes up fully. </p>
<p>“Oh,” he says. “I did not mean to fall asleep. My apologies, Yasha.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it,” she says, stretching her arms over her head. “It was a nice nap.”</p>
<p>Molly circles the couch and plonks himself down on Caleb’s other side. “This was at the front door,” he says, depositing a small paper bag on the table. Caleb perks up at the sight, immediately reaching out for the apothecary bag.</p>
<p>“Ah, I am going to—may I summon Frumpkin here? I promise the chalk will come off the floor, I have done it many times.”</p>
<p>“Go for it, love,” Molly says. “Next time we see you, you’d better have a cute cat with you.”</p>
<p>Now smiling, Caleb gives him a quick kiss as he slips past him, letting Molly’s tail flick along his arm as he passes. Caleb pauses at the door of the spare room, and shoots both of them a small but bright smile. </p>
<p>“Thank you, Yasha,” he says again. She smiles back and makes a little shooing motion at the door. </p>
<p>As Caleb shuts the door behind him, Molly swings himself around and drops his head into Yasha’s lap. He lifts his legs up over the arm of the couch, feet kicking lightly in the air. “Did you two have a good afternoon, then?”</p>
<p>“Maybe not at first,” Yasha says, “but I think it got better.” </p>
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